These French Women Are Fighting Stigma Around Female Body Hair

#LesPrincessesOntDesPoils (Princesses have hair)

We grow hair on our legs, mons pubis and under our armpits. Some of us have dark hair on our arms or tummies, others on our backs or the sides of our faces.

But, once upon a time, some bozo thought it would be a good idea to make female beauty synonymous with hairlessness.

Blame porn, blame advertising, blame Barbie, the sad reality is this ‘beauty standard’ is still kicking around in 2016.

That’s why hundreds of French women are taking a stand by proudly sharing images of their own body hair on social media with the hashtag #LesPrincessesOntDesPoils (Princesses have hair).

The hashtag was started by 16-year-old Adele Labo, who has been bullied for her body hair for years.

Adele Labo

Labo, who is from France but attending high school in Belgium, revealed that classmates said her body hair was “ugly” and likened her to a gorilla. In an interview with Le Huffington Post, she said that the remarks hurt her feelings at the time, but that she is now, with the support of her family, happy with the way her body looks.

Speaking to The Huffington Post UK, Labo said the response is “amazing” and that she never expected the hashtag to go viral.

“I created the hashtag to empower girls and normalise body hair,” she said. “By connecting women and collating images of female body hair, I can show girls that having body hair is completely normal and hopefully they won’t feel alone.”